Sparc Investment Plan For High Performance Success

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Media Release
23 February 2009

Sparc Investment Plan For High Performance Success

SPARC has announced the four year 2009-2012 high performance investment programme for targeted sports geared to get New Zealand athletes on the podium at London 2012.

SPARC High Performance Manager Martin Toomey says the investment decisions support the goal of more New Zealanders winning on the world stage.

“Priority has been given to sports with the greatest chance of success. We have had to be uncompromising in applying criteria based on past performance and the likelihood of future success.

“It is encouraging to see national sports organisations have across the board significantly improved their planning and sharpened their focus on raising standards for elite athletes.

“This investment supports SPARC’s High Performance strategy aimed at creating depth rather than breadth at the elite level. This approach paid off in Beijing and I firmly believe it will produce results in London,” Toomey said.

Under the High Performance Strategy 2006-2012 New Zealand is targeting at least 10 medals for the London Olympics.

The funding levels are locked in for the next two years, after which a mid-term review against the various high performance plans will be conducted. Funding levels will be maintained for the following two years though to 2012 if targets are being met.

Toomey says while it is encouraging that investment levels are higher than they were in the last Olympic cycle, there are pressures on the national sports organisations such as falling exchange rates and increasing costs of competing overseas.

The table below outlines the 2009 investment levels and the totals for the 2009-2012 periods (subject to investment levels remaining the same following the 2010 mid-term review). The 2008 and 2005-2008 investment levels are included for comparison purposes.

Sport/2008 Investment/2009 Investment/Total 2005 – 2008 Investment /Total 2009-2012 budgeted Investment*

Athletics/$1.15 m/$1.3 m/$3.5 m/$5.2 m
Bike/$2.2 m/$3.0 m/$8.1 m/$12.0 m
Rowing /$2.2 m/$3.0 m/$8.4 m /$12.0 m
Swimming /$1.4 m/$1.35 m/$5.3 m/$5.4 m
Triathlon/$1.15 m/$1.2 m/$3.9 m/$4.8 m
Yachting/$1.98 m/$2.15 m/$6.7 m/$8.6 m

*Investment total subject to 2010 review process.

The targeted investment is part of an overall high performance investment programme of approximately $35 million per annum. Other components of the investment programme include; high performance funding to other national sports organisation under the contestable investment process ($4.8 m) – announced in December 2008; performance enhancement grants direct to athletes and coaches ($5.5 m); Prime Ministers sports scholarship programme ($4.25 m) – announced January 2009; high performance support e.g. technology, research, innovation, talent transfer ($2 m) and New Zealand Academy of Sport athlete and coach support programme ($ 5.7m).

ENDS

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